SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 20
(By Senators
Hunter, Kessler, Dempsey, Foster, Oliverio, Lanham
,
Plymale, Edgell, McCabe and Jenkins)
Urging the United States Congress increase the federal minimum
wage.
Whereas, Over two million American workers are paid an hourly
wage at or below the federal minimum wage; and
Whereas, A disproportionately high number of older workers,
women and racial minorities are employed in minimum wage and
subminimum wage jobs; and
Whereas, The annual earnings of a full-time minimum wage
worker are only one third of the average American worker, the
lowest ratio since 1949; and
Whereas, Full-time minimum wage workers currently earn just
$10,700 per year, which is $5,000 below the official poverty line
for a family of three; and
Whereas, A person making the minimum wage today would have to
work for the better part of an hour just to afford a single gallon
of milk or a gallon of gas; and
Whereas, For the first time, the annual cost of health care
premiums for a family of four has surpassed the annual income of a
minimum wage earner; and
Whereas, Once an adjustment for inflation is taken into account, the purchasing power of the minimum wage has now declined
to its second lowest level since 1955;
Whereas, Since the inception of the minimum wage, there has
been only one other period, 1981 to 1990, in which the minimum wage
remained unchanged for more than eight years; and
Whereas,
The United States Congress last voted to increase the
federal minimum wage in 1997 to $5.15;
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby urges the United States Congress
to increase the federal minimum wage; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby
directed to forward a copy of this resolution to West Virginia's
congressional delegation.
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